Top Stories

Special Report

×

Metered Access

Crain's Detroit Business is a metered site. Print and digital subscribers have unlimited access to stories, but registered users are limited to eight stories every 30 days. After viewing three metered stories, you'll be asked to register or log in. After eight more stories in 30 days, you'll be asked to subscribe.

Lisa Lunsford

Vice president of sales and marketing, Deshler Group

By Ann Tappan

Career ladder: Lunsford's career path includes 28 years in the automotive industry, with 16 of those years as a business owner. She started with Ford Motor Co. after graduating with a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C. She began her career in R&D in Ford's plastics division; from there she moved to manufacturing and then to design. She is 52.

Power metrics: "Establishing and building a successful domestic automotive business in Michigan during a very difficult and unpredictable economic period for the region and the industry."

GS3 is a tier-one supplier to major OEMs and also specializes in providing engineering, stamping, assembly and logistics. Based in Livonia and co-founded by Lunsford in 2010, GS3 has grown to more than 100 employees and generated more than $36 million in revenue in 2015. Livonia-based Deshler Group Inc. is comprised of seven sister companies — including GS3 — that provide manufacturing, assembly, transportation, packaging and IT. Lunsford is involved in the strategic and day-to-day leadership at Deshler, which employs more than 400 people worldwide and produced over $135 million in revenues in 2015.

Surprising facts: She was among only six female CEOs of automakers and suppliers on the Automotive News' 100 Leading Women report in 2015. Lunsford has a third business role as executive partner and co-founder of I Thinc, a Detroit-based software development company serving the auto industry and the quick-serve restaurant market. Lunsford and her brother Kenny Williams started this business in 2000.

Big win: "The biggest thing was to be accountable — wrong, bad, indifferent or whatever, I just owned it. It led me to doing other things within the company. After working on a string of successful projects, including the 1988 Mustang and the 1996 Ford F-150 truck, I moved on from Ford to co-create I Thinc LLC. Within a year, we had secured contracts with leading third-party logistics and transportation companies. Many of I Thinc's systems remain in use, managing vehicle sequencing and warehouse management operations for the auto industry."

"In 2010, I co-founded GS3 Global with Robert Gruschow, and we established a thriving, diverse company that specializes in supply-chain collaboration. We've been fortunate enough to have our success recognized in our field: GS3 Global won the 2014 Supplier of the Year Award from the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC), and we were awarded the 2015 Regional Supplier of the Year Award from the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)."

Board/community involvement: "I've recently been named to the board of Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program, (DAPCEP), which connects with my passion for youth mentoring and education, particularly in the STEM fields. Professionally, I'm active in the Michigan Minority Suppliers Diversity Council, in the Michigan Center for Empowerment & Economic Development and the Women in Business Enterprise Council. And I spend as much time as I can volunteering with community activities in our neighborhood and with my daughter's elementary school in Detroit."

Biggest setback: "At I Thinc, we had just launched our intermodal transportation software when the technology bubble burst. We were not a part of this bubble. We had created real tangible software that worked and customers were using. But then, three things happened: one client sued for the source code; another stopped an RFID study; and our ability to fund the following months' payroll was not looking good.

"With perseverance and a lot of extra hours, we were able to navigate the difficulties that came with that territory, but we learned a valuable lesson — while you're looking at the big picture, you still have to keep your eye on the ball, because you are the only one looking out for your best interests." After this experience, she learned "to walk into every agreement with our eyes wide open."

What drives you: "The reason I started a business was to make a difference by providing jobs — and to encourage people to pursue their goals."

Why did you decide to get into this field? "I decided to get into manufacturing because it allows me to create and to build. I have a knack for collaboration. I enjoy bringing concepts and talent together, making them work and building a solution that performs."

What advice do you have for young women trying to get into this field? "For women breaking into the automotive field, you've got to love all things that move. When you're living in the world of manufacturing, remember: everything that 'blings' comes from something dirty. To make it as an entrepreneur, you've got to have tenacity. Know who you are. And know your value."

The new study by Grand Valley State University of Fortune 500 boards shows a correlation between board diversity and healthier profits, and Michigan companies have ample opportunity to improve board diversity, the study's co-author says.

In an effort to boost women's representation on for-profit corporate boards, Crain's Detroit Business on Tuesday night launched the Michigan Women's Directory. The launch coincided with the 100 Most Influential Women in Michigan recognition event that was attended by about 700 people.